Summer Cruise Day 22

We picked up anchor this morning, just like any other morning; but today was going to be very eventful!

The winds were strong and we would make it to Harness Creek on the South River in no time! As you can see on the map, we jibed a few times while getting lined up with the river, our course was generally steady as we quickly cut through the water. When we arrived at the mouth of South River, conditions deteriorated instantly!

A weather alert was issued for the area due to the strong storm approaching

We quickly put two reefs in the main, raised the staysail, lowered the jib, and readied the anchor. We didn't raise the trysail because we wanted to still be able to move to windward since we were very close to shore. If the wind would shift, we would soon be on a lee shore! 

This storm came out of nowhere! Today started off as a gorgeous blue sky day until this cloud system rolled in. 

My sister called me to warn me about the storm. It took out the power at her boyfriends office when it rolled through Bethesda and she was concerned about what it would do to us. 

We had no options, we had no water to drift, we had shores close by on all sides, and we were faced with this monster of a storm system. The weather alarm activated and the report stated that this storm was predicted to have winds in excess of 50 knots. Our plan was to try to continue making our way into the creek and hope the wind doesn't shift. If it were to get out of hand, we would heave to and if we were drifting towards shore we would drop anchor and wait it out. 

It is important to come up with a plan before heavy weather situations arise, that way in the confusion of waves, howling winds, and flapping sails, you will know what to do and do it quickly without the need for talking. 

We watched as other sailboats around us lowered their sails and began motoring into port while one other sailboat raised their storm sails and began making their way South to run before the storm. 

All of a sudden, the wind stopped and the water went calm. I knew that we were about to enter the storm and was prepared for the wind to shift. I stood at the ready with my hand on the mainsheet and the wheel, ready to set the sails for the new storm force wind we would be facing. 

All of a sudden, the water was churned up as 20 knots of wind hit us. We trimmed the sails and tried to use the wind to get us into the protected waters of South River. The wind began to build up to 25 knots and then leveled off for a moment. I was waiting for the 50 knot winds they were calling for on the radio. 

I looked at the weather app on my phone and saw that the Annapolis Bay Bridge just North of us was experiencing the 50 knot winds, but we were still only in 25 knots of wind. South of us was also experiencing 45 knots of wind. Suddenly, the sun began to poke through the clouds and the winds slowed to a mere 5 knots. 

Looking at the Doppler map on my phone, it appeared as if the storm parted around our boat and we were in the clear! We sat with our storm sails up for a few more minutes waiting for conditions to deteriorate again, but the storm had gone by and we escaped unharmed. 

We shook out the reefs and raised the drifter as we ghosted our way up the South River towards Harness Creek in the very light winds. We made it!

Summer Cruise Day 21

Yet another day of light airs on the Chesapeake Bay. Luckily, the winds were still blowing from the South, carrying us North. Maddie seemed unimpressed by our slow progress, as we ghosted along under full sail. I reminded her how we don't have to do any work and we are leisurely being pushed along in the right direction. 

Once again, as the sun began to set, the winds picked up drastically. We lowered the drifter and put a reef into the main. Sailing under staysail and reefed main, we worked our way towards the lee of a charted island with the intention of rowing Morty to shore. 

By the time we got into this narrow anchorage with horrible holding, the winds were in excess of 27 knots and the sun was on the horizon. We had all good intentions of taking Morty to shore this afternoon, but it wasn't practical. The island looked much smaller in person than it did on the chart, which made me think it might be all marsh, as these quickly change in shape and size. The island offered no protection from the wind, and only served as a minor breakwater to calm the seas. 

Poor Morty knew we were planning on taking him and was very upset when we changed our minds.

The anchorage we chose had a hard bottom and was only 8 feet deep. Once we dropped the hook, we drifted back into deeper water to protect the keel and rudder from groundings, but hoped that the anchor would hold on the hard bottom. 

We went to sleep with 280' of chain out with the anchor sitting 8 feet under water. All this rode couldn't compensate for the poor holding and we began to drag. By choosing the anchorage properly, we were ok with the dragging anchor because we were windward to a very nice anchorage of soft sand. The Bruce Claw slid 90 feet across the hard bottom until it arrived on the soft sand and sunk right in!

We were in bed when the anchor dragged, feeling the boat turn beam to the seas as we dragged and then turning bow to the wind as the anchor took hold again. Not the best sleep, but we did get to rest before arriving in South River the next day.

Summer Cruise Day 20

Today was another easy sail North. The winds were light but still blowing us right up the bay. I raised the anchor early in the morning and set the drifter and full main and began waiting for the wind to fill the sails. 

We sailed close to Tangier Island which brought back memories from our engagement. Then we jibed and made our way towards a quiet anchorage.

As the afternoon drew on, the winds again began to build. We switched headsails to the smaller jib in preparation for the stronger winds to come as we made our way toward the lee of the land. 

Hiding behind the hills, we were very protected from the wind and laid to the strong current that ran through this river. 

Another lazy day as we made our way North towards Fells Point, MD.

Tieing up to Larger Cleats

I rowed Morty from Fells Point to Under Armor on the other side of the harbor for his morning walk. When we arrived at the other side, I proceeded to tie up Tooth. 

The cleat was massive! I use 1/2" three strand for Tooth's docklines because I usually tie them to the cleats on Wisdom (a Morgan 45). Smaller line would get lost on the large cleats of the Morgan, just like they got lost on this cleat.

If you come across this situation, tie a bowline either through the cleat or around the base of the horns. 

New Gangplank: Part 1

The new gangplank needs to be wider than the old one, prettier than the old one, and not be to heavy.

To achieve this, we decided to use mahogany and cypress. Both woods are very rot resistant and cypress is very light for its strength. Mahogany gives the plank a lot of strength and looks gorgeous as an accent piece. 

My original plan was to use 2x2 and 2x4 planks of white oak and mahogany to build a laminated gangplank using bronze screws and wood glue. I went to World of Hardwoods (www.worldofhardwoods.com) and talked to Bryan who quickly pointed out how much work that would entail. He suggested the use of cypress and mahogany and biscuiting them together. I have never worked with biscuits and have been rather busy building my oars and working in my dental practice so I decided to have Bryan glue the planks up for me. 

After a few weeks, the wood had arrived and was ready for me to pick up. I loaded it into my car and brought it back to the boat to begin assembly. Instead of varnishing, I have been applying tongue oil to the plank to protect the wood and keep it oiled. There were a few small check lines on the plank, so I was sure to oil the wood quickly so that it would slow the rate of contraction.